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Very Best Restaurants: Queen Bee

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Queen Bee **
Arlington , ¢

You often have to waitstandingfor a table. When you get one, you're close enough to the next table to reach over and taste the food. The decor is not particularly attractive, and service, especially on weekends, is frantic and rushed. But Queen Bee continues to be the most popular Vietnamese restaurant in a neighborhood crowded with them, because the food is so good. While there may be better versions of a particular dish elsewhere, the overall quality of Queen Bee remains very impressive.

Start with the shrimp-and-pork rolls, wrapped in rice paper and brought to life by the generous use of fresh herbs. The fried spring rolls are good too. For a change of pace, try the green-papaya salad with beef jerky. Green papaya has a crunchy texture like jicama and is in pleasant contrast to the spicy sauce.

The list of main courses is a long one. The fried roast quail is tendar and very good, as are the grilled jumbo shrimp and the Vietnamese steak in a garlicky wine sauce. Deep-fried whole fish is splendid. You have a choice of sweet-and-sour sauce or hot sauce. Order them both, on the side. Amber beer from France goes well with most meals.

Queen Bee , 3181 Wilson Blvd., Arlington ; 703-527-3444. Open daily for lunch and dinner. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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